Header photo by: Nancy Lee Adamson
Together, We Can Make a Difference
By working together, our goal is to make a difference in reversing the threat currently facing pollinators around the world.
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Bee City USA fosters ongoing dialogue in urban areas to raise awareness of the role pollinators play in our communities and what each of us can do to provide them with healthy habitat.
The Bee City USA program endorses a set of commitments, defined in a resolution, for creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, which are vital to feeding the planet. Incorporated cities, towns, counties and communities across America are invited to make these commitments and become certified as a Bee City USA affiliate. |
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Bee City USA Aims to Protect Pollinators
by Enabling Affiliates to:
by Enabling Affiliates to:
Raise Awareness |
Enhance Habitats |
Celebrate Achievements |
Photo by: Nancy Lee Adamson
A Cohesive Team, Working Hand in Hand
Affiliates of Bee City USA are led by a broad-based committee - a team of private & public leaders. Once the application is submitted & the resolution adopted by your highest governing body, your team should be comprised of:
Grassroots Leaders |
City Staff |
Experts |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There A Model Beekeeping Ordinance?
While having a beekeeping ordinance is not required for being a Bee City USA community, we encourage responsible beekeeping policies.
A search (at www.municode.com) through the more than 1,000 bee-related city ordinances around the country reveals a wide assortment of regulations, conditions, and guidelines for urban beekeepers. These range from quite progressive and pro-beekeeping to outright prohibitions. As the importance of bees and the value of beekeeping becomes better publicized and understood, more and more cities are working to write ordinances that permit and promote responsible beekeeping. That is, beekeeping done on a scale and in a fashion that is safe, considerate of others and appropriate to areas of greater population density.
Madison, Wisconsin, has an extremely well drafted city ordinance developed in cooperation between city officials and the local beekeeping community. It addresses hive barriers and setbacks that create safe flight patterns in dense neighborhoods. It is worth a look if your city lacks an ordinance or has one that would benefit from an update.
A search (at www.municode.com) through the more than 1,000 bee-related city ordinances around the country reveals a wide assortment of regulations, conditions, and guidelines for urban beekeepers. These range from quite progressive and pro-beekeeping to outright prohibitions. As the importance of bees and the value of beekeeping becomes better publicized and understood, more and more cities are working to write ordinances that permit and promote responsible beekeeping. That is, beekeeping done on a scale and in a fashion that is safe, considerate of others and appropriate to areas of greater population density.
Madison, Wisconsin, has an extremely well drafted city ordinance developed in cooperation between city officials and the local beekeeping community. It addresses hive barriers and setbacks that create safe flight patterns in dense neighborhoods. It is worth a look if your city lacks an ordinance or has one that would benefit from an update.
What About The Danger of Stings?
According to the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC) in their "No Fear of Stings!" brochure, "Some people may have an allergic reaction (even some who do not know they are allergic to stings).
A very small proportion of the adult population (3%) and children (about 0.5%) are allergic to bee stings and are at risk of possible systemic reactions including anaphylactic shock. If someone experiences nausea, wheezing, or difficulty breathing following a sting, or if they are stung multiple times, they should seek immediate medical care. This is rare, but is an early systemic symptom of anaphylactic shock.
You are more at risk of being struck by lightning (about 700 fatalities per year) than dying from a bee sting. For example, in the U.S. population, only 40 people out of 310 million people die from stings in a typical year. Many of these incidents are actually from wasp or ant stings rather than native bees or honey bees. Ground-nesting yellow jacket wasps (Vespula species) are defensive around their populous nests."
To order copies of this excellent brochure produced by the Garden Taskforce of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), go to www.polinator.org/brochures.htm or download a copy here.
Bee City USA urges urban beekeepers to take every precaution to avert honey bee contact with neighbors. See “North Carolina State Beekeeper Association’s Best Practices for Urban Beekeepers” for guidelines.
A very small proportion of the adult population (3%) and children (about 0.5%) are allergic to bee stings and are at risk of possible systemic reactions including anaphylactic shock. If someone experiences nausea, wheezing, or difficulty breathing following a sting, or if they are stung multiple times, they should seek immediate medical care. This is rare, but is an early systemic symptom of anaphylactic shock.
You are more at risk of being struck by lightning (about 700 fatalities per year) than dying from a bee sting. For example, in the U.S. population, only 40 people out of 310 million people die from stings in a typical year. Many of these incidents are actually from wasp or ant stings rather than native bees or honey bees. Ground-nesting yellow jacket wasps (Vespula species) are defensive around their populous nests."
To order copies of this excellent brochure produced by the Garden Taskforce of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign (NAPPC), go to www.polinator.org/brochures.htm or download a copy here.
Bee City USA urges urban beekeepers to take every precaution to avert honey bee contact with neighbors. See “North Carolina State Beekeeper Association’s Best Practices for Urban Beekeepers” for guidelines.
We Encourage Community Leaders Across the Nation to Join the Bee City USA Movement
Just as plants and pollinators have collaborated for millions of years to make the planet bloom and fruit, communities have the opportunity to join forces to sustain pollinators and the planet through more conscientious landscape management.
